Cat moratorium at Kent County SPCA continues

The Kent County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has extended its cat and kitten intake moratorium initially caused by a feline distemper outbreak by more than a week.

Antonio Prado

The Kent County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has extended its cat and kitten intake moratorium initially caused by a feline distemper outbreak by more than a week.

The Kent County SPCA’s moratorium began Oct. 10 and was scheduled to end Oct. 24, Community Partnership Coordinator Mary Ann D’Amato said. But the SPCA extended its moratorium to Nov. 1 as a precaution against the distemper outbreak, shelter officials said.

In addition, the shelter is still dealing with overcrowding due to a high number of owner surrenders or abandonment of cats in 2011. The local SPCA lost more than 30 cats to the distemper outbreak, including several kittens, D’Amato said.

The SPCA administers tests for distemper, she said. If they come back positive the cats are put down as recommended by the in house veterinarians. Right now, the Kent County SPCA has 115 cats, which is right at capacity despite recent losses, she said. In addition to limited space, treatment of the cats has been expensive for the shelter, which relies on donations.

SPCA officials direct those who must surrender their cat or seek to help a stray cat to seek help elsewhere until Nov. 1. Those interested in taking a cat or kitten home during the extended moratorium can visit the animals at Dover’s Petsmart store, 1390 N. DuPont Highway. For more information, including any costs of adopting a cat, call the Kent County SPCA at 698-3006.

The Kent County SPCA, meanwhile, is still asking the pubic for donations of blankets, towels, canned cat food, cat toys or beds. Anyone interested in donating is encouraged to drop off his or her goods at the shelter located at 32 Shelter Circle in Camden.